Consensus Conference Reports

The Parkinson Alliance hosted their second consensus meeting to discuss current views on Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson’s disease (PD). The meeting was held in Richmond, Virginia, and in attendance were neurologists, neurosurgeons, neurophysiologists, and industry. The focus of this discussion was to develop guidelines for best practice of DBS for PD. The document includes opinions from experienced treatment providers and industry about DBS therapy for individuals with PD. Moreover, the report provides informative perspectives about the current status of DBS, patient selection/candidacy for DBS therapy, the surgical procedure, and programming. There is indisputable evidence that DBS is an intervention that can help improve quality of life for people living with PD. That said, clinicians and scientists are continuously studying DBS to figure out ways to make it better and safer for people to manage their disease.

This report was intended for two audiences, health care professionals and individuals with PD and their families. Given the robust content of the discussion, we decided to have an integrated, comprehensive report for all of its readers.

Click on the link below for a full report on the DBS Consensus Meeting

The Parkinson Alliance (with shared sponsorship provided by the Davis Phinney Foundation, the LSVT Foundation, and the National Parkinson Foundation) convened a panel of the world’s experts on DBS for PD. The task assigned to these experts was not to craft a typical consensus statement for themselves, but to come up with a document aimed squarely at their true customers—the patients. These world leaders discussed the current matters related to DBS therapy and where we need to go with this intervention. The ultimate focus was on improving the effectiveness of the intervention and the quality of life of those individuals who have undergone or those who will choose to undergo DBS.

The topics of the Consensus Meeting were many and included patient selection, gait and speech DBS outcomes, non-motor DBS outcomes (mood and cognition) and long-term DBS outcomes, to name a few. The final report has been published and can be read by clicking on the following link:

Also, at the conclusion of the Consensus Meeting, a group of PD patients with and without DBS was invited to an open forum where several clinician shared their experiences and answered the participants’ questions. The summary describing the important dialogue between patients and clinicians about many of the commonly asked questions that exist in the PD community can be read by clicking on the following link: